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Late Fame

Play trailer 2:22 Poster for Late Fame In Theaters Aug 7 1h 36m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 33 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet, works in the post office. After an eager and flattering young admirer appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers who anoint him as a rediscovered genius. Intoxicated by the attention -- and by the alluring presence of Gloria, the group's "tragic heroine" -- Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle. This thoughtful, witty film is a wistful yet unromantic look at a lost idea of downtown New York.
Coming Soon In Theaters Aug 7 Notify Me

Cast & Crew

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Kent Jones

Director

Willem Dafoe

Actor

Greta Lee

Actor

Edmund Donovan

Actor

Tony Torn

Actor

Jake Lacy

Actor

Critics Reviews

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Zachary Barnes Wall Street Journal Oct 16
It’s based on a novel written in the 1890s by the Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler, and the adaptation’s transposition of time and place comes off as anachronistic and unconvincing Go to Full Review Jourdain Searles RogerEbert.com Oct 9
The classic theatricality of its characters juxtaposed with the modern world gives 'Late Fame' the feeling of a eulogy for an artistic world that young idealists desperately want to revive. Go to Full Review Marshall Shaffer Slant Magazine Sep 7
2/4
Its desire to resist easy storytelling paradigms around artists is admirable, but without punching up or down, the film feels like it’s pulling punches altogether. Go to Full Review Weiting Liu The Brooklyn Rail 2d
I cringed to admit that I found the Enthusiasm Society relatable. The film gets something uncomfortably right about these collectives: the genuine passion, the longing for meaning, and yes, the performative self-fashioning. Go to Full Review Sean Burns Spliced Personality (Substack) Apr 28
One of our greatest living actors and arguably the most consistent, Dafoe plays the sheepish postman like a slowly opening flower. Go to Full Review Sarah Manvel Movies We Texted About Apr 21
In addition to talent you also need luck, and Late Fame exists to examine the gap between people who have one but not the other. It doesn’t quite succeed, but thanks to the scorching talents of Mr. Dafoe and Ms. Lee it’s no failure at all. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
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Late Fame

Late Fame: Trailer 1 Late Fame: Trailer 1 2:22 View more videos
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Late Fame

Late Fame (2026) Late Fame (2026) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet, works in the post office. After an eager and flattering young admirer appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers who anoint him as a rediscovered genius. Intoxicated by the attention -- and by the alluring presence of Gloria, the group's "tragic heroine" -- Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle. This thoughtful, witty film is a wistful yet unromantic look at a lost idea of downtown New York.
Director
Kent Jones
Producer
Pamela Koffler, Mason Plotts, Christine Vachon, Danny Roberts, H.S. Naji, Jackie Langelier, Taylor Shung, Ethan Lazar
Screenwriter
Samy Burch
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 7, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 36m